Finally saw Blank Panther.
Very cool, kinetic, gorgeous to look at. Fine cast, dialogue with that bit of sass that Marvel does so well.
And very importantly, strong emotional context/content for the villain, something too many comic book genre movies (I'm looking at you, DC) gloss over or ignore.

Watched a movie Secret Window recently. A great psychological thriller with Johnny Depp based on Stephen King’s book. Really like Depp as an actor and basically all the movies he plays at are memorable. There was this dark, mysterious house in the movie the main character worked at, actually looks quite similar to Depp’s 18 century villa in France which he bought in 2001 (yes, I googled, nothing unusual, just a villa with 6 additional cottages and 2 swimming pools in French Riviera )
I think this movie (Secret Window) is very underesimated, not so many people know about it, but I do recommend to watch it, if you like Depp and mystery thrillers.

BaroqueAgain1 wrote:Finally saw Blank Panther.
Very cool, kinetic, gorgeous to look at. Fine cast, dialogue with that bit of sass that Marvel does so well.
And very importantly, strong emotional context/content for the villain, something too many comic book genre movies (I'm looking at you, DC) gloss over or ignore.

By far my favorite Superhero movie. I took my nephews to see it. They loved it!!

I love a really solid horror film and can get exceedingly picky about my choices. Get Out was something above and beyond. A truly magnificent first showing for a director and IMO a game changer for the genre, or at least a subset of it. Can't wait for more from Jordan Peele.

On the other hand, I am currently in the midst of watching The Fast & The Furious franchise, first time for my roomies and second time through for me. These movies are best consumed through the lens of being a superhero film -- pretty people whose powers are to drive fast and be relatively indestructible. I started watching them ironically and now I just have 100% buy-in. Dumb, exciting, over the top fun, with a surprising amount of attention paid to giving the characters real emotional depth and making you care about the "family." Ride or die, indeed.

Also watched Coco on a flight last night. Deeply charming and wonderful and absolutely near the top of my Pixar list. I cried so hard I was afraid of scaring the people around me.

ETA: Oh. And Black Panther was the bomb. 'Nuff said.

Not a wholesome trottin' race, no, but a race where they sit down right on the horse!
Like to see some stuck-up jockey boy sittin' on Dan Patch? Make your blood boil? Well, I should say!

Black Panther has broken so many records, but this is one I guess I never would have predicted. 'Black Panther' Expected To Formally Break Saudis' 35-Year Cinema BanThe last time Saudis could walk into a commercial movie theater, buy a bucket of popcorn and settle in for a silver-screen spectacle, that film may well have been E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Or Tron, maybe — or Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? The point is, it's been an awfully long time since Saudi Arabia's ban on public cinemas took effect in 1983 — so long, in fact, the ban is older even than the ultraconservative kingdom's crown prince, along with two-thirds of his country.
But the formal end of the ban is in sight.
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture and Information announced Wednesday that it has partnered with AMC to open up to 40 cinemas across the country in the next five years, with the first one set to open its doors in Riyadh on April 18. And according to multiple media outlets, that theater's very first film is one that's already well-acquainted with breaking new ground: Black Panther.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way ... cinema-ban

Just got back from seeing The Quiet Place. A very intelligent and intense film; it's been called horror but I think of it more as a thriller. It's gotten rave reviews from Steven King and others, and now I know why.

My advice: See it like I did, without researching the film first. It was more enjoyable not really know what the movie was about going in.

If you have found yourself yearning for a movie that's not a huge, loud tent-pole extravaganza, I recommend The Rider.
It's a slow, poignant story with a charismatic lead, who is basically being himself. Brady Jandreau plays a young Lakota cowboy who is trying to find his way after a rodeo injury puts his future as a rider at risk.
The cinematography is gorgeous, but it's the horses who reveal the heart of the story. The footage of Brady working with unbroken colts is damn impressive, since Jandreau actually WAS the trainer for the movie and all the training he does on camera is real.

Starine wrote:Just got back from seeing The Quiet Place. A very intelligent and intense film; it's been called horror but I think of it more as a thriller. It's gotten rave reviews from Steven King and others, and now I know why.

My advice: See it like I did, without researching the film first. It was more enjoyable not really know what the movie was about going in.

Solo was okay, I guess. I'm not a big sci-fi fan and was never terribly into the Star Wars thing, but it was entertaining.

The Avengers movie was almost tiresome. I mean, it was okay, but geesh, what a bummer ending. Of course, sitting through the credits to get to the little scenelette was almost as long as the movie itself. I told the guy next to me that I had started to look for my own name.

And now I'm watching an old episode of Gunsmoke. Mainly because I can't find the remote control.

BaroqueAgain1 wrote:If you have found yourself yearning for a movie that's not a huge, loud tent-pole extravaganza, I recommend The Rider.
It's a slow, poignant story with a charismatic lead, who is basically being himself. Brady Jandreau plays a young Lakota cowboy who is trying to find his way after a rodeo injury puts his future as a rider at risk.
The cinematography is gorgeous, but it's the horses who reveal the heart of the story. The footage of Brady working with unbroken colts is damn impressive, since Jandreau actually WAS the trainer for the movie and all the training he does on camera is real.

I listened to an NPR interview of Brady Jandreau - I think it was on Fresh Air. It was super interesting.